German Chancellor Angela Merkels government is alarmed by President Petro Poroshenkos plan to hold a referendum on Ukraine joining NATO, seeing it as a dead end that would only inflame tensions with Russia.

Ukrainian membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is not on the table for Merkel, according to one German official, who said that a referendum wouldnt bring Ukraine closer to NATO since decisions on membership are made by Alliance countries and not voters. Any bid to join NATO can only end badly, a second official said. Both asked not to be named discussing German government strategy.

Its a stance that Merkel and Vladimir Putin can agree on, even as she vents frustration at her inability to sway the Russian president to resolve the crisis.

NATO membership for Ukraine isnt on the agenda at this point, Michael Grosse-Broemer, the parliamentary whip for Merkels Christian Democratic bloc, said in an interview in Berlin yesterday.

German resistance to Ukraines membership in the 28-nation military alliance, echoed by France, is a warning to Poroshenko not to aggravate the conflict with pro-Kremlin separatists that has claimed more than 4,300 lives in almost eight months.

Michael Grosse-Broemer, parliamentary whip for Merkels Christian Democratic bloc, said, NATO membership for Ukraine isnt on the agenda at this point, Close

Michael Grosse-Broemer, parliamentary whip for Merkels Christian Democratic bloc,... Read More

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Michael Grosse-Broemer, parliamentary whip for Merkels Christian Democratic bloc, said, NATO membership for Ukraine isnt on the agenda at this point,

For Putin, the alliance once arrayed against the Soviet Union remains an adversary. Ukrainian membership in NATO would be absolutely unacceptable, a Russian government official said yesterday, asking not to be named discussing diplomatic policy. Any referendum that backed NATO membership in Ukraine would lead to further escalation which Russia wouldnt tolerate, the offical said.

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Merkel Said to Reject Ukraines NATO Bid Over Russian Tensions